


Hybrids

by gojiyeong



Category: SHINee
Genre: Abduction, Ace Taemin, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Asexuality Spectrum, Chaptered, Coming of Age, Complete, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dating, Demisexuality, Discrimination, Emotional Roller Coaster, Explicit Consent, Falling In Love, Family, Feelings, First Kiss, First Love, First Time, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gay, Gay Minho, Gunshot Wounds, Hand Jobs, Humiliation, Hybrids, Killing, Kissing, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Love, M/M, Magic, Making Out, Masturbation, Mild Sexual Content, Panic Attacks, Queer Character, Queer Themes, Romance, Science Fiction, Secret Organizations, Sex Talk, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Superpowers, Taeyeon is Taemin's sister, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:08:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28962921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gojiyeong/pseuds/gojiyeong
Summary: Taemin was special. He and his family were hybrids. Like countless members of their community, they had abilities regular people would call superpowers. He had only one rule to follow: keep it a secret. He could never tell anyone for any reason whatsoever.Minho didn’t particularly like his father’s job, but he knew it was necessary. He was sure of one thing: if hybrids were dangerous, something had to be done to make the streets safer. They had to put the hybrids somewhere they would not be able to hurt innocent people.But when Minho lacks friendship and Taemin is ready to give him everything in order to find his place in this world, will they be able to put their fears and prejudices aside and accept each other?
Relationships: Choi Minho/Lee Taemin
Comments: 20
Kudos: 14





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this fic! It has been a long time in the making. The fic is complete and I will post one chapter a week. Thank you to my wonderful beta Emily!  
> Don't hesitate to leave a comment or kudos if you like my writing :)

Minho was tired and cold. It was raining hard now, despite it being only spring. He rushed into the subway station, which was crowded with people going home from work. He had stayed all Friday afternoon at school studying and running. He was in his freshman year at Konkuk, a renowned university in Korea.

Living in Seoul, he knew there wouldn’t be any seats available, so he just grabbed a handle and tried to not fall asleep during his thirty-minute trip. When he arrived at his station, he shivered with just the idea of getting off the train. The subway lanes were cold and the fabric of his shirt was light. At the moment he stepped on the platform, he felt the airstream go through him, leaving him as cold as ice.

He walked through the lanes to get to the connecting train that would lead him home, but someone in a corner got his attention. A boy was sitting on the floor, legs held in front of his chest with his head on his knees. He was starting and jolting quietly. His clothes were wet, as was his black hair. He was whimpering, but it didn’t seem like he was even aware of it.

Minho moved closer to the strange person, not knowing what to do. He held out his arm and placed it gently on the boy’s shoulder. The boy lifted his head up and stared at him.

He suspended his movement to observe his face. The first thing that struck him about the boy was his eyes. They were of an unusual electric blue color so captivating. It made him think of a massive storm with hundreds of lightning bolts going from the rim towards his pupils. His eyes were as chaotic as the weather outside.

He came back to earth when he saw tears escaping from those fascinating eyes. The boy’s upper lip was trembling, probably because of the low temperature and his obvious sorrow.

Minho couldn’t look away but the boy closed his eyes and abandoned himself to the touch. His body relaxed, and it was like the air around them became warmer.

Minho crouched down and the boy opened his eyes again. They looked at each other for some time, though he didn’t know how long. He didn’t know what to do. All he knew was that he wanted to help this boy.

“Are you okay? You should come with me, you’ll catch a cold if you stay here like that.”

“Oh no, it’s okay… Thank you, though,” the boy replied, his eyes wide in embarrassment.

“You’re not staying here all night, are you?” Minho couldn’t help but be offended by the refusal. “You can sleep at my place if you have nowhere else to go.”

The boy’s answer was stuck in his throat and he looked into Minho’s eyes again, seeing the determination.

“Okay, I’ll come. But just for one night.”

The boy stood up. It wasn’t an easy task; he had probably been sitting there for several hours without moving. They went to the right platform, and Minho could see the boy had trouble walking. He considered holding him but decided that wouldn’t be appropriate. They didn’t know each other at all.

Right now, Minho was glad he lived alone. He knew he wouldn’t be able to explain to his parents why he had to help this stranger. He probably wouldn’t have suggested to that boy to spend the night at his place if his parents were around anyway.

They took the subway and walked to his apartment in complete silence. They took the elevator to the fourth floor, walked along the hall, and stopped in front of the last door.

Once inside, they both took off their shoes and Minho pointed to the bathroom, a small room immediately on the right.

“There are towels in the cabinet under the sink,” he explained.

His apartment was small and only consisted of two rooms. Fortunately, it had been renovated just before he moved in, so the place was nice. The bathroom was cramped, but the other room was just big enough to fit a small kitchen on the right wall and a counter. On the left there was a sofa and a coffee table, and across the room stood his bed and his wardrobe. This was all he needed.

Minho looked in his wardrobe and took some boxers, pants, a shirt, and a sweater. He brought everything to the boy and went to the kitchen to make some coffee.

A few minutes later, he heard the water stop running. The boy got to the kitchen and sat at the table. His jet black hair was wet and drops of water were falling on his shirt. It was only then that Minho realized he was missing something.

“What’s your name, by the way? I’m Minho.”

“My name is Taemin. Thank you, Minho. I mean, the clothes, the coffee…” He could see Taemin was troubled with everything Minho was offering him.

“Don’t worry about it. To be honest, I’m pleased to have someone at my place. It’s a nice change.”

He realized how pathetic that last sentence was as Taemin took a sip of his coffee. The boy closed his eyes and yawned, cutting himself off from the world for a few seconds.

“You should go to sleep,” Minho said. “There, take my bed.” Taemin looked surprised.

“Where are you going to sleep? I don’t want you to sleep on the sofa. The bed seems big enough for two people anyway.”

Minho felt uncomfortable at the idea of sleeping with a stranger. But the sofa wasn’t comfortable at all. He knew it because of all the times he had collapsed on it, too drunk to get to his bed. The mornings after were always an ordeal for his body.

“Okay, I guess we can share my bed,” he finally decided.

They finished their coffee and went straight to bed. He was exhausted from his day, but still, he couldn’t fall asleep because something was on his mind. It was silly, but still, it was there.

“Taemin, are you sleeping?”

The black-haired boy didn’t respond, and he wasn’t sure he should insist. The situation was already pretty weird—with him trying not to touch the boy. He finally fell asleep, telling himself he could wait until morning.

* * *

Taemin woke up with a start. He was breathing heavily, almost whimpering. He was hot and wet in his clothes. His head was burning and he thought it could explode at any moment. He was breathing hard, frightened that if he relaxed too much, he would slip back into his nightmare.

After a few minutes, he realized he wasn’t in his bed. Nor in his room. He heard a voice next to him.

“Taemin, is everything okay?” the voice asked. At first, he didn’t recognize who it was but then he remembered what had happened in the evening. It was the boy he met, Minho. He had probably felt him move and cry in his dream and was worried.

“It’s okay. Just a nightmare,” he whispered. Taemin didn’t know what it was exactly, but that’s how he had been calling this kind of dream. “Go back to sleep, I’m okay. Good night, Minho.”

“Are you sure, Taemin? You don’t look okay.” Minho got closer to him and touched his forearm. They were face to face and Minho tried to probe his eyes, but it was useless.

“I’m sure. I’m used to it.” He grabbed Minho’s hand, making them rest between their bodies. “Go back to sleep, please.”

Minho didn’t look completely convinced, but wished him goodnight, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep straight away.

But Taemin had more trouble sleeping again. His head was hurting as if his skull had shrunk, or as if his brain was trying to get out, he wasn’t sure. Anyway, his brain was working too hard for him to relax and calm down.

He looked around himself. The apartment was small and he had a strange feeling about it. The walls were all… blank. The person who lived in those four walls was a mystery.

He watched Minho laying in front of him. He had short, wavy dark brown hair that looked soft. Some strands were falling on his eyes and nose, and Taemin had to refrain himself from touching them.

Minho’s eyes were closed right now, but he had noticed the intensity of his brown eyes while they were drinking coffee. They pierced through him and made him feel safe.

Taemin watched him breathing slowly through his nose, noticing the small movement of his mouth, throat, and chest as the air flew in and out. He couldn’t tell for sure that the boy was completely asleep, but he seemed at peace with himself.

He focused on Minho’s fingers intertwined between his and closed his eyes. His hand was soft and way bigger than his; he almost felt like a child. He eventually caught himself stroking the boy’s knuckles, and he surprisingly found it relaxing.

He slowly fell back asleep.

* * *

Minho woke up the next morning with a strange feeling in his gut. He saw the boy sleeping beside him and suddenly remembered everything. He tried to get up without moving the mattress too much so that he wouldn’t wake Taemin.

He went into the kitchen to make some coffee. A few minutes later, the smell was all over the apartment and Minho noticed the boy waking up.

“Do you want some coffee?” he asked as Taemin got up.

“Yes, thank you,” Taemin answered with a smile.

Minho made him a cup and they both drank in silence. As Minho looked at the boy, the questions he had from last night came back to him.

“Hey, Taemin. I was wondering… You’re not from here, are you?” He was embarrassed. “I mean, you’re not from Seoul.”

Taemin nodded shyly.

“You’re right.” Minho could sense by the look in his eyes he was embarrassed that he had noticed his small accent. “I was born in Jeju. But I’ve been moving a lot since then. I’ve been in Seoul for a few years now. I think my parents finally decided to settle. My place is in Hongdae. Where are we, by the way?” Minho could see his cheeks becoming reddish. “I didn’t really… pay attention last night.”

“We are in Apgujeong. It’s my apartment, I live by myself.” Minho remembered what he had said last night about being alone, and decided he shouldn’t talk about it again.

“Why don’t you live with your parents? How old are you anyway?”

“I’m twenty.” Taemin looked at him and Minho had the urge to discover those beautiful eyes again. He slapped himself mentally for thinking about this in the middle of a conversation. “My parents live outside of Seoul, and it was easier for me to live closer to my university. So they suggested that I move out of the house,” he explained. “And you, how old are you?”

Taemin took a sip of his coffee. “Eighteen. I haven’t had my birthday yet, it’s in July.”

“I haven’t either. It’s in December. So… I’m older,” Minho teased gently.

“It seems I owe you respect then.”

Minho laughed. He hadn’t thought of that at all. But a part of his mind told him that was a card he could play sometimes —and yes, that was implying there would be a next time. He wanted to see the younger boy again. His laugh died in his throat as a serious thought crossed his mind.

“Taemin, why were you—” he hesitated. “I mean, I know it’s probably personal, and we don’t know each other, but… What happened last night?”

“Oh. It’s— It’s my parents. I’m sorry you had to see me like that. I’m usually a cheerful person.” Taemin looked embarrassed and like he didn’t want to talk about it. But Minho was a persevering man.

“What happened between you and your parents?”

“It’s just… We’re always fighting. I got tired of it.” It was obvious Taemin wasn’t telling everything.

“Okay. But just so you know, it happens to everyone,” he said before thinking. He realized he wasn’t good at comforting people when he saw Taemin’s face.

“I’m not sure how to put it but, they’re— I don’t know, it’s like they’re not happy I’m here. My sister is like the perfect child, and I’m not. Sometimes it’s like they would have preferred I didn’t exist.” Taemin’s eyes were slightly watering and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to make him feel better, but he wasn’t especially good with words, and he was always so afraid to embrace people. He chose the simplest option.

“I’m sorry. You know, I don’t know them, but I believe a parent always wishes the best for their kids. If they didn’t care about you, they wouldn’t even be mad at something. Now, I don’t know why you fought, but I think everything they want, in the end, is seeing you bloom and succeed.”

Taemin nodded. Minho looked at the young boy for a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, Taemin, it’s not that I want you to leave, but I have plans for today…” he said embarrassed. He felt bad to leave the young boy on a sad note.

“Don’t worry about it! I already stayed too long anyway, thank you so much. For everything.” Taemin blushed a light pink as he looked at him knowingly.

“You’re welcome.” He hesitated. Why did he find it so hard to ask? “Do you want to— I don’t know, hang out with me sometime? I mean—” Now he was feeling very silly because he didn’t know what to say. And Taemin seemed amused by the situation. He breathed deeply. “I mean, you seem like a nice guy,” he finally admitted.

Taemin smiled, one of those smiles that shone like the sun. Minho couldn’t get enough of his blue eyes, and thought of his soft hands—he wasn’t completely asleep when he felt the boy play with his hand during the night.

“There’s no way I’m not coming back to invade your personal space, Minho.”

The happy smiling Taemin was finally showing himself.


	2. Junseok Health Institution

Taemin was heading home. As much as he didn’t want to go back, he knew he had to at some point. He was thinking a lot about what Minho had told him earlier that morning. In the end, everything a parent wanted was to help their children. Maybe it was what his parents were trying to do.

But his parents were special. Taemin too. He came from a family that wasn’t just like any other. They were hybrids. Like countless other members of his family, Taemin could do things regular people couldn’t do. He, for instance, had telekinesis. He could move objects with only his mind.

Almost all of his ancestors had a similar ability. Controlling water, talking to animals, generating electricity, making people fall asleep, being invisible, or regenerating, amongst other things.

Because of their nature, they had to move regularly. He was born in Jeju Island, but they had to leave the island when he was still young as it became invaded by tourists and they began to fear being exposed. They kept moving every few years to a new place where he, his sister, and his parents could be strangers again.

The reason for all this was the number one rule he learned as a hybrid: it had to be kept secret. He couldn’t tell anyone for any reason whatsoever. He understood the rule: that’s why he hadn’t told his newfound best friend Jonghyun. They had met in school when Taemin had moved to Seoul a few years ago and Taemin liked him right away. But there was this part of him he had to keep to himself.

He had never questioned this rule and wasn’t bothered by it until he hit puberty. That’s when things became difficult to manage. He sometimes had episodes during which his ability was uncontrollable, and he might have broken a few things unintentionally.

When Taemin entered his house, his parents swooped in on him with worried faces. Taemin knew they were afraid something bad had happened to him after their fight the night before.

The fights had been their new normal for the past year. His parents would always end up yelling at him because he wasn’t careful enough. They said he couldn’t control his ability. That wasn’t true. Sure, he had some moments when something he didn’t intend to do happened, but it was only a few times. It wasn’t a big deal in the end.

So, like the typical teenager he was, he’d yell back and they would fight for hours on end. His big sister, who didn’t have any abilities, had to suffer through those endless battles.

“Where have you been, Taemin?” his mother asked.

She took him in her arms, and Taemin decided he didn’t want to fight again today. He was tired of this. Deep down, he knew his parents loved him.

He let go of his mother but didn’t answer. Instead, he went to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He felt he was having an episode now, which wasn’t helping his case. He could feel his parent’s gaze on his back. He tried to make a glass move but it broke instead. He decided he’d have to do it the old-fashioned way and took another glass with his hand.

“Taemin, can you come back here?” his father demanded. Taemin obliged. “We don’t want to fight, Taemin. Can you just listen to us, please?” he said as he tried to remain calm.

Taemin nodded and sat on the sofa, as far as possible from his parents.

“We’ve been talking to people from an institution. It’s an institution for hybrids.”

Taemin sighed. Here they went again.

“I don’t want to go to an institution, dad. I’m not crazy,” he said quietly. He was tired of fighting.

“Of course you’re not, Taemin,” his dad said abruptly. “We’ve never doubted you. But those people, they’d be interested to meet you. To better understand your ability. Maybe they could help you.”

“Help me with what, exactly?” Taemin felt a rage grow inside of him. So they were going to fight in the end.

“You know what. Don’t act dumb,” his mother interjected. “You’re dangerous to yourself and others.”

Taemin felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes. Of course, he knew. He’d never admit it to himself, but he knew. The time he closed the door violently on his sister’s face, the time he put the kitchen on fire, the time he broke the chandelier, the time he stopped the clock and they missed their flight, the time a passing car randomly crashed.

He wasn’t in control. He needed help. He started sobbing violently at the realization. He had put them in danger countless times and didn’t want to be accountable for it. He was a terrible son, a terrible brother—a terrible person. As the tears went down his cheeks, he had trouble breathing.

“You would only have to go for a few hours a week. It’s not a big deal,” his father explained.

Taemin felt his sister Taeyeon sit beside him. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed it. He buried his head in her neck as he whimpered more.

“Taemin…” she started. “Let’s say we check out the place? And if you don’t like it, then you never have to go back there again. Sounds good to you?” she said softly.

Taemin needed a few minutes to calm down. He was exhausted. He just wanted to give up. He nodded with closed eyes.

He heard his parents get up and he guessed they were ready to leave for the institution right away. He didn’t have any energy anymore; he couldn’t get up. He stayed on the sofa in the arms of his sister until he was half asleep.

“Let’s go, Taemin,” she said with a smile.

He got up slowly and went to the car with her. The car started and as they drove, the sound of the engine soothed him to sleep.

His sister woke him up and he realized they had stopped. They got out of the car and headed for the building in front of them. Taemin kept his head glued to the ground, not a molecule of his body wanting to be here. He was walking slowly, dreading the moment they would enter the place as if it would seal his fate forever.

His parents went to talk to a receptionist while Taemin and his sister sat on the plastic chairs laid near the entrance. His parents came back and went to sit with them. Taemin could feel they were also extremely nervous. In that moment, he felt a bit less alone. They were all in this together.

A few minutes later, a man in a white blouse arrived.

“The Lee family?” His parents nodded. “Welcome to the Junseok Health Institution. You must be Taemin,” he added looking at him with a smile. “I’m Dr. Kim. Please follow me.”

Taemin got up, knots in his stomach, and followed the group. His sister held his hand and murmured, “It will be okay.” He wanted to believe her.

They entered an examination room with white walls covered by anatomy posters. Taemin’s heart began racing faster than it should. That was it.

“Taemin, please come sit on the chair,” the doctor said as he gestured at it. Taemin obliged.

The doctor took his temperature, his blood pressure, and pulse rate. His arm was hurting and he flinched.

“How are you feeling, Taemin?” the doctor asked.

“I— Not that good, I guess.”

“It’s okay. Most people are afraid the first time they come in here, but you shouldn’t worry.” Taemin nodded hesitantly. “I’m going to take a blood sample. To better understand your ability,” he added when Taemin’s father already started to ask questions.

Taemin gave him his right arm and closed his eyes. He felt the coolness of the disinfectant, then the pinch of the needle. He tried to slow his breathing. Then it was over and the doctor asked him to press the cotton pad against his skin.

“I can give you something to calm you down if you want. I can tell you’re stressed out.”

He felt his parents were uneasy about this but Taemin accepted. His body had been fighting for hours and he felt so weak. A bit of help couldn’t hurt.

Dr. Kim injected a warm liquid into his arm. He took it gladly.

“I’ll get the blood sample to the lab. You can all wait in here, I’ll be back soon,” the doctor stated as he went out of the room.

They all stayed there silently. Taemin felt himself dozing off. The drug was working. At some point, he heard his sister say she would go out for a bit. He heard the door open but not close. He was sleeping. For the first time in a long time, his sleep was dreamless and he could finally rest for real.

He woke up as he heard some noise in the room. His sister had come back, and the doctor was there too. He had a clipboard with what would be his results, Taemin thought. Dr. Kim asked them to follow him.

Taemin tried to get up, but it wasn’t an easy task. He was having issues waking up and everything was still blurry. He finally managed to get out of the chair and followed Dr. Kim and his family to a much smaller office room. Dr. Kim sat at his desk and gestured to Taemin to sit too. His parents and sister awkwardly stood behind him.

“So, Taemin,” he started while looking at his papers with a concentrated face. “I have a few questions for you. Please, answer them as precisely as you can. You can ask your parents to leave at any moment if you need to.”

Taemin nodded, trying to focus on his words.

“When did you first realize you had an ability?” he asked. Taemin’s father was going to answer but the doctor shut him off. “Taemin needs to answer this, not you, sir.”

“Hum, I think when I was five or six, I can’t recall,” he tried to remember. “We were still living in Jeju,” he added.

“And how did you realize that?”

“I don’t know. Something moved. I knew it was me. I can’t explain it.” Taemin felt it was difficult to concentrate and form coherent thoughts.

“Would you rate yourself good at your ability?”

Taemin blushed, feeling his pulse accelerate, and shook his head. There was no point denying he was bad at telekinesis now.

“Would you say you connect a lot with people?” the doctor asked. Taemin didn’t understand the question. He frowned. Maybe he was falling asleep again and didn’t hear the whole question. “Do you have a lot of friends? Do you like being around people?”

“Oh. No,” he said apologetically. “I’m more of a loner.”

The doctor nodded and wrote something on his papers.

“What’s the point of all this, Dr. Kim?” his father asked. Taemin tensed as he heard his voice. He had forgotten he wasn’t alone with the doctor in the room. To his surprise, the doctor remained calm and answered his father’s question, but he wasn’t talking to his father. He was talking to him.

“We got your results, Taemin,” he stated. “Do you know why we have the abilities we have?”

“Something with our DNA?” Taemin remembered out loud. He was finally recovering some brainpower. It felt good being awake.

“Exactly. It’s in our genes. Well, I have a couple of news for you, Taemin.” He looked at the doctor and waited for him to go on. “It’s normal you’re bad at telekinesis. Your gene is weak. From what we’ve seen, it shouldn’t even be there.”

Taemin exhaled. He felt relieved. It wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t supposed to be a hybrid. His ability was like an extra toe you didn’t ask for but had to live with.

“But the fact is, you still can do some telekinesis, enough to hurt people. So you’ll need to train a lot harder than the others. For the safety of everyone.”

Taemin let that information sink in. Now that he knew, it made sense, and he didn’t feel as much on the defensive anymore.

“But that’s not all,” the doctor continued. “It seems the reason that gene is weak is that you have another ability that has stolen the show,” he explained. “You’re a telepath, Taemin,” he said softly.

What?

Taemin felt like a flush all of a sudden. Everything clicked at once. The reason he was not socially awkward, but social gatherings tired him so much. The reason he always felt so empathetic even towards the people he hated. The reason it was so difficult for him to take sides when his parents disagreed.

Blood was rushing through his veins and he felt alive.

“Our son can hear our thoughts?” his mother said hysterically.

“That’s not how it works,” Taemin and the doctor answered in unison. Dr. Kim smiled at him before elaborating.

“Telepaths can usually feel people’s emotions. For most of them, it stops there. The fact that none of you knew, not even Taemin, tells me that this is probably what he experiences. I guess it just feels normal to you, right, Taemin?”

“Yes,” Taemin said confidently.

“Their ability can expand as they become aware of it. The level at which they can read minds depends on the context and the relationship they have with the person they’re trying to read. It also depends if they’re just experiencing their ability passively, or if they’re actively trying to get some information.”

Taemin let all this sink in. He knew his life would be different once he entered this place. He just didn’t think it would take this turn. Now all he wanted was to try and explore his newfound ability.

“Because of the nature of this ability, we don’t have any training to offer, unfortunately. But I’m confident your son will be good at it. I’m sure he’s already better than he thinks,” he added looking at Taemin. “So, I think you’re good on that side.”

“Thanks,” Taemin said genuinely.

“I’d still like to see you once a week to help you train your telekinesis, though. Would Saturday morning work for you?”

Taemin looked at his parents and nodded. It didn’t sound so bad anymore. They arranged the details and Dr. Kim said they were free to go.

As they were driving home, Taeyeon touched Taemin’s thigh to get his attention. He looked at her with questioning eyes.

“So, I went for a walk when we were waiting for your results earlier. This place seems nice. Lots of people looked like they were living there. I think you’ll like going.”

“If you say so.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but as they were leaving, he had realized the place was an old traditional castle. The place looked wonderful. In the end, he was glad he had listened to his parents.


	3. Clan Against Hybrids

Minho was grateful the weather had cleared up lately. He didn’t especially enjoy visiting his parents, but at least the sun made his journey more pleasant. His parents lived outside of Seoul and he had to take the airport railroad—which was running on the surface—for almost an hour.

Even though Minho had been living on his own for almost a year, his parents often asked him to come home and visit them. He thought that maybe they felt lonely without him.

After countless stops, Minho finally got off the train. He went outside and breathed in the cold air. He could tell by the smell that he was closer to the sea. He walked for a solid five minutes before arriving at an esplanade surrounded by high apartment towers. The wind was rushing between the towers, making a constant sound. The airstream was caressing his face.

He left the esplanade reluctantly to go to a little neighboring street and saw the house his parents lived in. That was also the place he had lived most of his life, and every time he would come, he’d feel gloomy.

He entered the code on the keypad and opened the door. He immediately heard footsteps come towards him.

“Minho, how is my little sunshine doing?” His mother seemed happy to see him.

“Everything is fine mom, don’t worry. I’m taking out the trash, I don’t eat junk food and I cook almost every day.” The last one was a lie though.

“And the laundry? Can you handle it?” she added.

He was about to answer, but his mother was quicker. “I’m kidding, sweetheart. I’m so happy you live on your own, but your father and I miss you. It’s a bit empty without you here.”

“I know, mom, I miss you too. But I’m not so far, and I’m here now.” He gave a hint of a smile, which his mother gave back. “Why did you call? You just wanted to see me or is there something in particular?”

“We received a letter from your bank this morning. It seems they haven’t noticed you changed places yet. We even might have to wait a few months more before they do. Here it is.” He took the letter and went to sit at the table near the kitchen.

“Are you staying for lunch? I’m making cut noodle soup.”

“Mom, the day I refuse to eat your food, you take me to a shrink because something has to be wrong with me.”

His mother laughed quietly. Minho opened his backpack and pulled out his computer along with some books. He had an important paper to write for school. He had planned to finish it the night before, but time had gotten the better of him and he wasn’t able to in the end.

He tried to concentrate, but his mind went back to the boy he met a few days ago. He hadn’t been able to take him off his mind since they had met. The feeling was bizarre, almost alien. He wasn’t the type to make split decisions. But he had made one that, he was almost sure would have consequences. Seeing how he was always thinking about him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to let go of him.

He had thought of sending him a text but hadn’t yet gathered the courage.

As he was writing, a weird smell went through his nose. He looked at his mother and jumped out of his chair. She was holding a match. Huge yellowish flames came out of it. They went so high they could have burned the ceiling.

As he got up, he noticed some giant blue flames licking the pan on the gas cooker. He felt the wall behind him and his legs went numb. He couldn’t control a whine out of his mouth.

His mother rushed towards him and took him in her arms. He accepted the embrace, slowly forgetting the ridiculous little flames from the match and the gas cooker.

“I think you should work in the living room“, she said calmly. He agreed, took his belongings, and went out of the kitchen.

He couldn’t go back to his writing. The only thing on his mind was the match and the flames around it. He could see the flames grow bigger, now surrounding his mother’s hand, arm, and whole body, burning her alive. The ones from the gas cooker were turning the pan into ashes, as well as the kitchen and the whole house, leaving nothing behind.

He would always feel the same way around fire. Even if he tried to reason himself, even if he knew that matches couldn’t hurt anybody, he would become unconditionally afraid every time he saw one. At that moment, his imagination would go crazy and make him see horrible things. It often ended up with someone burned alive.

Minho managed to calm down after a good ten minutes and he focused back on his paper. He tried to be productive because it was for a class he couldn’t afford to fail.

He didn’t realize what time it was until his mother told him and his father that dinner was ready.

He sat at the table and waited for his parents. His mother arrived with the food and his father sat silently beside him. He started eating but his father seemed to have something else in mind.

“So, Minho, how are things going? Everything is fine at school?” he asked interestedly.

Minho nodded. “Yes, everything is going well, Father.”

“Okay… So, do you spend a lot of time on campus? Or do you work at your place?” Minho found the question odd, but everything was odd about his father.

“It depends? I mostly work at my place, but sometimes I have a group project or I have to go to the library, so I stay at school. I also run a lot on the tracks,” He thought for a second. “Why?” he added.

“I’m glad you asked, son.” That was so typical of him, Minho thought. His father liked to be the center of attention. “Actually,” his father started as he laid down his chopsticks, “something big is going to happen at work.”

“At work?” Minho asked. His father worked in finance and Minho couldn’t find something that would be near exciting.

“Well, not my day job obviously, my _other_ job. With the CAH.”

“Oh.”

Minho had almost forgotten about that. The CAH, short for ‘Clan Against Hybrids’. His father was part of this secret organization that tracked down hybrids. They once had the approval of the government, but this partnership ended decades before Minho was even born.

He knew hybrids were dangerous, but he had never met one, so he didn’t know firsthand. But he was sure of something: if hybrids were dangerous, they couldn’t live with them. They had to be put somewhere where they would not be able to reach innocent people.

“What is it?” Minho asked. “What’s going to happen?”

“A raid. We found a neighborhood full of hybrids,” his father stated.

Minho didn’t care if he was honest, but he knew his father liked to be praised, so he acted like he was.

“That’s good. How did you do it?” he asked.

“Something to do with the electricity supply. It seems that some people don’t want to pay their bills and manage to generate electricity in a non-human way to avoid that.” Minho nodded in agreement with a fake impressed look on his face.

His father seemed to hesitate but went on.

“That’s not all, son. The area is very close to your school,” he said with a grim look. “And we want you to help us with this.”

“Why should I help you? What would I have to do?” The last thing Minho wanted was to be involved in his father’s schemes.

“You know the area well and that could be an asset for us. Besides, that’s your chance to become a permanent member of the CAH.” Minho looked at his plate with confusion. His father went on. “You won’t be on the field. You’ll just have to work with the strategic team.” He looked at his father. “I have already set up a meeting.”

So he didn’t have a choice. He knew he had to go along with him.

“Okay. But, Father… What is the purpose of that raid exactly?” His father looked at him in the eye, like if he was probing him. “Do you… capture them or…”

“Yes. We capture them, of course,” his father said hastily. “We provide them with a new place where they won’t be able to cause harm. You’ll help us make the streets safer.”

Minho swallowed with difficulty. He wasn’t hungry anymore.


	4. First Lesson

Saturday came soon enough. Taemin had woken up early, anticipation knotting his stomach. He felt anxious but excited. Today would be his first lesson and he didn’t know what to expect. Would he be able to even show something interesting? Or would he be the mess he always was when it came to his telekinesis?

He dressed up and went downstairs. His father was already waiting for him and he drove him to the institution. He hadn’t realized it before, but it was quite far from home. They both stayed silent during the whole ride but Taemin sensed a feeling of relief from his father. He was relaxed as he was driving. Taemin decided he liked to see his father like this. It was better than the fights.

When his father dropped him off, he saw the time on his phone and decided he had some time to check out the place.

The castle was in the middle of a forest with lots of clearings. Cherry blossoms were blooming everywhere. Around the main castle, Taemin could make out several smaller traditional pavilions, some of them surrounded by dense vegetation. Children were playing on a playground, and he could see from here that considering a lot of things didn’t follow the rules of physics, they were hybrids just like him.

He finally entered the castle and Dr. Kim was waiting for him at the reception. He wasn’t dressed in white like last time; instead, he just wore casual clothes. Taemin took a second to look at him more closely. The man was tall and had broad shoulders. He seemed strong and athletic, but the bags under his eyes also made him look tired. His hair was turning gray, so Taemin guessed he had to be around fifty.

“I’m sorry I have to hurry you up, but I have a tight schedule today. You can eat breakfast here after we’re finished, then someone will take you home,” the doctor said with a smile.

Taemin nodded and followed the doctor through the hall. A question was forming in his head.

“Dr. Kim? What is this place exactly?”

“Oh, it’s a lot of things. Lee Junseok founded this place to help hybrids control their abilities at first. But then he realized some of them didn’t need help with that and just needed shelter. A lot of hybrid children are abandoned in the streets. We give them a home and a family here. Some of them grow up, get married, and decide to stay here with their children. They live in the cabins outside.”

They took an elevator and found themselves underground. They had stayed in the elevator for so long he was sure they were at least five or six floors down. This place was huge.

They arrived in front of a door which the doctor opened. The room was an empty and completely white padded cell. Taemin let out a breath.

“Don’t worry about this room, it’s only to protect ourselves. Go sit, please.”

The doctor closed the door behind them. Taemin was about to sit on the floor when a table and two chairs appeared out of nowhere. He stared wide-eyed.

“How…?”

“You know, you’re not the only hybrid in here,” he answered with an amused voice. They sat down on the chairs. “Those objects were already in the room, you just couldn’t see them. Nor feel them,” he explained.

“Wow…” Things were finally becoming interesting. What Dr. Kim could do was amazing and powerful.

“I don’t want to get your hopes up, Taemin. You won’t ever be good at telekinesis,” Dr. Kim started. Taemin tried to keep his head up but he couldn’t deny it hurt. “My goal here will mostly be to teach you to not trigger it, so you don’t hurt anyone.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll just assess your ability for today. To get an idea of where we’re coming from. Look at the pen on the table, please.”

As the doctor was talking, a small red pen appeared in the middle of the table. Taemin was impressed. The abilities of the people he knew didn’t have the same extent for him. This was the first time he was confronted with an ability of this kind and it amazed him.

“Take it.”

Taemin extended his hand and visualized the pen coming to him. The pen shook for a second then went into Taemin’s hand. However, the tip went straight into his palm and hurt him. He flinched.

“That’s great, Taemin.”

Taemin wouldn’t have labeled this as ‘great’ but was glad for the encouragement anyway.

“Can you make it write something?” the doctor asked as a piece of paper appeared on the table.

Taemin laid his hand on the table, palm up with the pen on it. He concentrated to make it go towards the paper. After a few seconds, it did. He tried to make it write his name. The pen started to turn on itself as if it didn’t know where its tip was.

Taemin’s head was becoming hot. He had never attempted to do anything that precise. The tip made contact with the paper and Taemin tried to control it but it was to no avail. The pen scribbled something that was definitely not Taemin’s name. He frowned from frustration.

“It’s okay, Taemin.”

Taemin looked at the doctor and the pen moved with his gaze. The tip went straight for the doctor’s pupil. Luckily, Dr. Kim was able to make it disappear just before it would hit him and make him blind.

“I’m sorry! I— I—”, Taemin stammered.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. It happens. That’s exactly why we’re training.”

Taemin nodded. He felt ashamed. It was just a pen. And he couldn’t do anything useful with it. The only thing he could do was transform it into a weapon.

Dr. Kim made the pen reappear on the table and asked Taemin to try again. But this time, he asked Taemin to draw simple forms like a circle, a triangle, and a square. After one hour and no other major incident, Taemin was able to make the pen draw something that looked like a circle or a potato, Taemin wasn’t sure, but Dr. Kim seemed happy with the result.

They got out of the padded cell and Taemin heard his stomach growl. He was both exhausted and hungry. As they were waiting for the elevator, he realized he still had so many questions to ask Dr. Kim.

“Doctor, are you sure I’m a telepath?” he asked shyly.

He had been thinking about this all week. After the rush of adrenaline that had followed the news, he had become concerned. He had tried to actively read his parents and sister’s mind. Nothing came to him. He tried it with his friend Jonghyun from school. He had the same poor results.

“Oh, I’m sure, Taemin, don’t worry about this.”

“But how do you know? I have no idea what you’re thinking right now. I can’t get into my parents’ head. I can’t read anyone.”

The doctor looked at Taemin, thinking about what he should say. Then his face lit up as he made a decision.

“Follow me.”

They got out of the elevator and Taemin soon realized they were heading back to the same office as the week before. They both sat around the table and Dr. Kim started his explanation.

“First, I know you’re a telepath because science says so. Genes don’t lie.” He looked at Taemin knowingly. “Second, your reaction to the news. You instantly understood. I would have said that to, let’s say, your sister—she wouldn’t have had the same reaction.”

Taemin bit his lip and nodded.

“Third, there are so many kinds of telepaths that we can’t know for sure what you can actually do. Most telepaths I’ve known could only get people’s emotions.”

“That’s a lame ability, if you ask me,” Taemin interjected. “I also have a thing called empathy that can do just that.”

“The thing is,” Dr. Kim went on, “we don’t know a lot about telepaths. They mostly keep to themselves and don’t mix with other hybrids.” Taemin frowned.

“Why?” he asked shyly. Dr. Kim seemed to hesitate but decided Taemin should know.

“Mostly because a lot of people in the community find them untrustworthy. I’m not one of those people, for what it’s worth,” he added. “Here’s what I know about telepaths: they say they can feel other people’s emotions. But I know from firsthand experience that the more connection you have with someone, the more you can read them. Whether it’s love or hate, it doesn’t matter. I know some telepaths can access the thought process of other people and literally read their thinking. I know some of them don’t need to be with the person they intend to read. Some of them can probably do even more,” he concluded with a serious and meaningful look at Taemin.

Taemin got what he meant. If a telepath was able to understand how a person was forming their thoughts, there was only one small step before they’d be able to manipulate that thought process to make the person do what they wanted.

“I’m not ill-intended,” he said, as he tried to justify himself.

“I know, Taemin. Unfortunately, you don’t get to decide how people feel about you. You can only show them the best of you and hope for the best.”

He was starting to better understand the number one rule: if he was already a threat while not having control of his ability, what would it be once he mastered it?


	5. By the River

Minho hated to be woken up by his phone. He grumbled and searched absently for it under his pillow. When he saw the sender of the message, he suddenly felt much more awake. He had been thinking about the mysterious blue-eyed Taemin for the whole past week but still hadn’t found the courage to text him.

_‘Something planned for today?’_

Minho’s plan for the day was to do just nothing if he was honest with himself. On Saturdays, he would usually just stay in his underwear, order pizza, and watch whatever was on television. Then he’d feel bad and go for a run. If he was behind for a class at university, he would consider working a bit, even though he knew he wouldn’t be productive anyway.

So he was really surprised with himself when he realized he would actually like to change his plans and go out to see Taemin. He didn’t understand why he felt like that. He usually hated it when unexpected things happened in his daily routine.

But when he thought about it, Taemin being in his life was unexpected as a whole. If the weather had been nice that evening, he would have probably walked right past him, not even acknowledging him. If he had decided to work at his place like he usually did instead of the library, he would have been in those subway lanes in the early afternoon.

_‘I guess now I have ;) Something special in mind?’_

The answer came right away.

_‘Meet me at City Hall exit 4 at 2 pm.’_

2 pm. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was already 11 am. He had overslept again. But in his defense, his Friday night had been animated. He had eaten out with a classmate and had drunk a lot of alcohol. His apartment was a mess, which indicated that they had probably drunk at his place before going to sleep.

He got up hastily and regretted it straight away. His head was hurting. He immediately told himself he should quit drinking, but he realized he had that same thought a couple of weeks before.

He sat in the kitchen and drank a glass of water. It was refreshing and woke him up a bit more. He decided he should clean and tidy up his place before getting ready. Even if he didn’t have that much time, he knew he would hate himself if his place was messy when he came back.

When his apartment looked like a welcoming place again, he went to shower. He caught himself smelling all of his shower gels to determine which one had the best scent. He felt dumb.

He wasn’t the type of guy who paid great attention to his looks. He knew girls always found him handsome, even though he didn’t exactly try to be noticed by them.

But today, he wanted to look his best to meet Taemin. And he knew what it meant. He sighed. He had tried to deny his feelings for the past week, but as he chose his most expensive shower gel, he had no choice but to admit it: he had a crush on Taemin.

It had happened twice in his life. The first time was when he was around twelve and went to a new school. He didn’t remember the name of the boy or how he looked, but what Minho felt for him was engraved in his skin. At the time, he didn’t understand any of it, he just figured he wanted to be friends with him. But they never became friends anyway, because this boy was only hanging out with the artsy kids, and already being a sports fanatic, he didn’t know how to approach them.

The second boy he had a crush on was someone quite painful to recall. Minho was sixteen at the time, and one day a new boy transferred from another school. Minho liked him right away but was afraid to admit it. So he just started to hang out with him to try to know him better, but as time went by, he fell in love with him. When he finally came at peace with himself and accepted that he liked boys, he gathered every ounce of courage he had and confessed to his crush.

Surprisingly, this boy told him he felt the same way and they started dating. But only about a week later, as he was experiencing his first kiss in the locker room, the other jocks of the school came in and laughed at him. Only at him. His boyfriend quickly went to the other boys and everything Minho heard was laughter and something about a bet that his boyfriend had won. He quickly understood he had been made fun of and they never talked again.

So yeah, Minho was gay. He never had a positive experience though, and maybe that was the reason he had never been completely comfortable with that fact. He had never told anyone. He never dared to try and meet guys like him. The fact that he was a very straight-presenting guy didn’t help. But he couldn’t deny that he liked Taemin. And as he was washing, he decided he had to try something. Taemin wouldn’t be the kind of person to make fun of him. Right?

But he wasn’t getting his hopes up. Why would a guy as beautiful and perfect as Taemin like him anyway? Minho wasn’t so special. He was just average. He wasn’t too bad looking, but he definitely wasn’t beautiful enough to become a model in his opinion. Yes, he believed in great abstract causes like gender equality, but he didn’t do anything to fight for it anyway.

Then, Minho realized he didn’t have any real friends. He wasn’t close to anyone. Most people he was hanging out with were classmates or people he ran with. Even his place didn’t reflect his personality. It was like he had a shell protecting him and preventing people from knowing the real him. Suddenly, he was ashamed Taemin had seen his place. What if he had been frightened by its lack of personality?

His hands began to shake as he was washing his stomach. He felt a wave of stress grow up inside him, up to his head, and small tears came out on their own. His legs became jelly and he sat down in the shower before his legs would completely give up. He let the water fall from the showerhead onto his back and tried to breathe.

He was used to it, yet he always felt so helpless when a panic attack started. He let the tears flow and counted every inhalation and exhalation. He tried to be positive. Taemin had accepted his help, and he wanted to see him again. He had even made the first step. That meant that Taemin at least wanted to be friends with him, and Minho could go with that.

He finally managed to calm down and got out of the shower. He dressed up, got out of his place, and to the subway station. He was a bit late, but not enough so that it would be an issue.

He dozed off as he was waiting for the right stop.

City Hall was a concentrated area. There were so many things to do here. He was really curious about what Taemin was thinking about. He just hoped they wouldn’t go to Gyeongbokgung Palace because even if the place was beautiful, he wasn’t in the mood for sightseeing. He walked through the subway lanes until he saw exit 4. He went out and enjoyed the sunshine. It was spring, so the weather was still a bit cold, but he could only admit he had been missing the sun. He heard a voice behind him.

“Hey.”

He tensed. He realized he had forgotten how the boy’s voice sounded. He was eager and afraid at the same time to turn around and finally see him again.

“Hey,” he said back with a smile.

He needed a couple of seconds to take in what was in front of him. The first thing he noticed was Taemin’s piercing electric blue eyes he had not forgotten about. How could he?

He forced himself to look somewhere else, and he ended on his lips. Taemin had pink plump lips that Minho instantly felt like kissing. They were smiling at him and he couldn’t help but blush. He couldn’t stare at them. He continued looking down and noticed his collarbone. The boy had a white shirt with a wide collar that fell from his left shoulder and revealed his skin. It wasn’t any better for his sake.

Taemin was smaller and less muscular than him, with soft and pale skin that, along with his hair, just made his eyes stand out more.

“What do you want to do?” He asked abruptly, feeling the weirdness of the two of them standing in front of each other in silence.

“Hum… Since the weather’s nice, I was thinking about going to the Cheonggyecheon Stream. If you want to,” Taemin added shyly. Minho thought that was a wonderful idea.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” he said enthusiastically.

The river was just a couple of blocks away. They walked there and Minho spotted the giant blue and red shell sculpture, which indicated they had arrived at the stream. They went down the stairs and to the small pathway alongside the river.

“Have you been waiting for me for long?” Minho asked in an attempt to start a conversation. The silence between them was becoming slightly awkward.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe half an hour. I was there early.” Taemin seemed a little bit off like he hadn’t slept for a long time.

“Are you feeling okay, Taemin?” Minho asked with concern. He made a split-second decision to grab his hand and oh god, why did he have to feel that way about the boy?

“I’m okay Minho. I just had a busy morning,” he said with a smile. “I’ll tell you if something’s wrong, okay?” Taemin said reassuringly as he patted then let go of Minho’s hand.

“Deal.”

“Anyway, what were you doing this morning? You look like you’ve been in a rush” the boy said, amused.

Oh. That’s not the impression Minho wanted to make. He was suddenly very disappointed with himself. He just wanted to look clean and confident, and instead, he felt miserable.

“Not that I mind,” Taemin finally added. He was flustered. Taemin could read his face like an open book.

“Your text woke me up. And my place was a mess. Too much drinking,” he simply said. This wasn’t his most glorious night, and he wasn’t proud of it.

“If only I could imagine,” Taemin said while laughing. “I don’t drink. I mean, I don’t like the taste of alcohol, so I’ve never got wasted.”

A bird flew right past them and Minho didn’t quite get what Taemin said. It was hard for Minho to focus on more than one thing at once and right now, he was just taking in the view of the place they were at. It was soothing, with the sound of the water running and the wind flowing through the branches of the trees. This place was like a lung in the center of the city. He felt Taemin tug at his hand and came back to reality.

“I love this place so much,” he couldn’t refrain from saying.

“Me too.”

“Do you come here often?” Minho was curious.

“Actually, yeah. This place calms me down. I don’t really like it at home. You?” There was something about his family, Minho was so sure of it.

“No. I live pretty far from here if you didn’t notice.” He was trying to be friendly. “But I’m near the Han River, so I often go there to run.”

Taemin didn’t answer, and they continued to walk along the stream.

“So…” Minho started. “You don’t drink. What else do you not do?”

“Mmh, let me think.” Taemin was staring into space and pouted. “I don’t exercise that much. Even if I should.”

“Really, you should? I don’t think you need it.” He tried to sound friendly but he couldn’t refrain himself to think of the boy’s beautiful and attractive body. Taemin laughed and blushed.

“And you, what do you not do?” Taemin asked. Okay, it was his turn now. What could he tell him?

“I don’t play any instrument.” He wished he was lying because it would have been interesting to serenade him.

“I knew it.” Taemin looked proud.

“How could you?” He didn’t recall telling him that.

Taemin blushed and gestured at Minho’s hands.

“We fell asleep holding hands. Your hands are too soft for you to be playing,” he explained in a breath. “But you seem like you do sports. Do you?” he asked after a pause.

“I like to run. I sometimes use the tracks at my school but I prefer to run by the Han River.” He was happy he was wearing a tight shirt that could reveal a bit of his arm and chest muscles. And he was especially happy Taemin had noticed. “Do you play any instrument?”

“Yeah, well, sort of. I used to play the piano. But I have to admit I haven’t touched it for a long time.”

“Why is that?” Now that Taemin had told him, it was clear that those fingers were predestined to play that kind of instrument.

“Last time we moved, we couldn’t take the piano with us. And now with school and everything, I don’t have time anymore. It’s my last year before I enter university, so it’s a big deal.”

“And then you have your family issues, I suppose.”

“And my family issues,” Taemin confirmed.

It was clear the boy didn’t want to talk about his family, so he decided he wouldn’t try to get it out of him. He also didn’t have a perfect family life.

“Just so you know, I think we all have issues with our parents at some point,” Minho started. It was hard for him to find the right words to express how he felt, but he tried anyway. “My mom is okay I guess, she just… acts like a mother, you know?” Taemin nodded and grinned. “And my father… Well, my father is quite a character. He thinks everything is about him. So yeah, I get it,” Minho said while still in his mind. He had thought about telling Taemin about this organization his father was in, but he just couldn’t. He was ashamed. And knowing he would soon have to work for it didn’t make him feel good either.

They arrived in a secluded area, just next to the water. Trees were hiding them from the path. Taemin sat on the ground, took off his shoes and socks, and rode up the bottom of his pants.

“Come on Minho! The water’s nice,” the boy said as he put his feet in the water.

He sat beside him and did the same. Taemin was right, the water was nice. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and took in everything he could. He could feel Taemin right beside him, he was almost sure he was looking at him. He let his hand wander near Taemin’s and was relieved when Taemin took it.

“I’m glad you contacted me,” Minho said softly.

“I wanted to see you again. And I was thinking about what you said last week.” Taemin wanted to see him again. He felt relieved.

“What did I say?”

“That you were feeling alone at your place.” Oh, so he remembered that. “I know how it can be difficult to make friends.”

Minho breathed deeply. “I don’t have a lot of friends. I mean, it’s mostly people from school, so… And I like to live alone, it’s just that sometimes… I feel lonely.” He paused. “But I didn’t leave my parents to share an apartment with a dirty roommate.”

Taemin laughed. “I guess that makes us have something in common.” Minho looked at him with interrogative eyes. “I like it when it’s clean,” Taemin explained.

“Great. Maybe I’ll let you sleep on the couch then,” Minho said jokingly.

“Let me remind you I already slept in your bed, Minho.” Taemin squeezed his hand as he said that, and Minho tensed up as small electroshocks went through his whole body.

He looked at Taemin’s eyes once more and Taemin stared back. He was struck again by his pupils. What felt like lightning the night he met him looked like waves today. They still had a majestic feel, but if eyes were a window to the soul, then Taemin was much more serene now.

Taemin lowered his gaze and stared into the water, but Minho could see the genuine smile on his face. He felt the boy get a bit closer to him until their shoulders met, their hands still resting together between them.

He felt good. He wasn’t that nervous being so close to the boy—and that genuinely surprised him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. He felt Taemin move a bit, then set his head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for some time until Taemin’s stomach made a sound.

“Seems like you’re hungry, Taemin.”

“Seems like it. Want to go grab something?” He wouldn’t mind eating either, but that meant they would have to separate themselves from each other. “I know someplace near here.”

“Let’s go before I change my mind,” he said softly as he put his socks and shoes back on.

Taemin led them to a little restaurant just beside the river and they sat in a softly lit corner. The waiter came soon enough.

“I’ll have some fried chicken please,” Taemin said enthusiastically. “And tell Sun that Taemin says hello!” he added with a smile. The waiter nodded and turned to Minho.

“I’ll have a bibimbap, but without egg, please.” The waiter nodded again, although a little surprised. They ordered their drinks and the waiter left.

“You don’t like eggs?”

“I do… but I’m allergic. Unfortunately,” he said simply.

“Fair enough. It makes it up for me not drinking,” Taemin answered, amused. “Is there anything else you don’t eat? Since we seem to get to know each other by saying what we don’t do.”

“I’m not a fan of tomatoes, but that’s it. I think,” he said as Taemin laughed.

The waiter came back with their drinks. Minho sipped a few times and spoke.

“So, besides the fact that you were afraid I was feeling alone, why did you text me? Don’t you have friends?”

The sentence came out of his mouth before his thought was properly formed. He hoped Taemin wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

“I have some acquaintances. I wouldn’t say I have a lot of friends, though. Let’s say I know what it is to feel lonely,” Taemin said with a sad stare, and Minho could completely understand how he felt.

He had always considered being alone as a wish to not be with anybody while being lonely was an extremely uncomfortable situation where you wanted people to be with you and support you, but they simply weren’t there.

“Okay, let me rephrase that. How many of your friends would pick up the phone at two in the morning?”

Taemin thought for a second. “I’d say maybe one. Two if I count strangers picking me up from a subway lane.”

Minho smiled shyly. Sometimes while in his bed, he wondered if that night had actually happened because it felt so unreal. But every time Taemin would allude to it, all the events would flash again in his mind and everything would feel vivid again. Every time he thought about it, he was happier with the decision he had made that night.

“Who’s the other one?” Minho asked, intrigued.

“My best friend Jonghyun. We’ve been friends since I moved to Seoul. He’s a genuinely nice guy.”

The waiter came with the chicken and the bibimbap. It was only when he saw the pot that he realized how hungry he was. He jumped on his pot and started eating.

They ate in comfortable silence and started to talk again once they were finished. It was a quiet environment, with only a few lights, and he just felt at ease with the boy. He really couldn’t find any other word, because the situation was so simple and yet, so wonderful at the same time.

As they were waiting for their dessert, he felt something in his stomach that had nothing to do with food, and he tensed again. He knew their date—if it even was one—was coming to an end, and he didn’t want to leave without knowing what to expect.

As he was going to speak, the dessert arrived and they started eating.

“So, Minho… It was nice spending time with you. I mean it,” Taemin said with a blush. Minho couldn’t have said it better.

“Same for me, Taemin. We should do that more often,” he answered.

Minho extended his hand on the table for Taemin to see, and just hoped for the best. Taemin looked at it and then at Minho with a confused face. He extended his hand as well so that just the tip of his fingers could reach Minho’s. He was fidgeting in his seat as he was obviously trying to say something.

“Minho, are you… You know.” Taemin took a deep breath. “Into… boys and stuff?” Minho’s heart started racing as he had to choose between telling the truth or lie. “I mean, it’s okay if you are. I don’t mind.” Taemin was looking at him, expecting an answer, but Minho couldn’t say anything. He tried to make a sound, but words didn’t want to come out. So Taemin went on. “I mean, it’s just that I have the feeling that you are, but I don’t want to make any assumptions.”

Minho closed his eyes, inhaled, and nodded scarcely. When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that Taemin was looking right at him. He tried to lay his eyes somewhere else. His teeth were biting into his lips as he thought about what he wanted to ask Taemin.

“What— what about you?” His voice was so low he wasn’t sure Taemin could hear him. But looking at him again, he knew he had heard him.

Taemin was staring at the dessert between them and was absent-mindedly fidgeting with the tip of Minho’s fingers, probably out of nervousness. He finally opened his mouth.

“I don’t know.” Taemin inhaled sharply. “I’ve never thought about it,” he finally said with a soft smile on his face. Seeing this, Minho could only smile back. He just couldn’t refrain himself to think that somehow, there would be something between them, sometime. It was meant to be. He just had to wait.


	6. Waves

“Keep on going.”

Taemin was able to make the pen draw an almost perfect square and he couldn’t have been happier. When the square was finished, he put a dot beside it to say he was done. He couldn’t refrain from grinning.

Since he had started to come to the Junseok Health Institution, he had made some progress. It still wasn’t much, but he could better feel his ability flowing through his hands and body. While working in the padded cell, he was now able to turn his ability on and shut it off as he wished. It still was a hard task to do in the real world, but he was confident it was just a matter of time and training.

He often stayed at the institution after his training. He liked the place. Since his training sessions were always very early in the morning and he lived far away, he had asked Dr. Kim if he could spend the night before at the institution. The doctor had agreed right away.

So every Friday night, Taemin would come to the institution. He soon realized he slept better there than at home. Being away from his family gave him a peace of mind he didn’t know he could experience. He was starting to wonder if it had something to do with his telepathy.

The nightmares had also stopped.

“Nice, Taemin. That will be all for today. We’ll see each other next week? You can train at home, but don’t try anything foolish.”

“Understood. I won’t do anything stupid.” He had decided to take things slow to be sure he wouldn’t make a mess. That meant opening all the doors with his hands—his parents were thankful.

“Do you need someone to take you home?”

“No, it’s okay. My parents will get me today, we’re going to see my granny for her birthday.”

“Oh well, happy birthday to her then,” the doctor said smiling.

They left the padded room and he went straight to the cafeteria. It was nine in the morning and he hadn’t eaten anything yet. He took a bowl of cereal and ate alone. He liked it when the cafeteria was empty. He had come to realize that even though he couldn’t exactly hear people’s thoughts, their mood affected him.

As he was waiting for his family to come, his mind started wandering. He had started coming to the institution a month ago, and he could feel he was way more comfortable with Dr. Kim now. He trusted him. While his father had always been somewhat distant, probably because he was afraid of what Taemin could do to him, Dr. Kim embraced his abilities. The doctor was the kind of father he’d always wanted to have.

He started to try and imagine what his life would have been like if he was born in another family. A family that would understand him, _truly_ understand him, that would have shown him this place earlier, maybe a family that lived in this place. A family he could confide in. He would be able to tell them about everything, even about a guy he met in the subway late at night…

Taemin exhaled loudly. He didn’t know how to act towards Minho. The only thing he knew for sure was that the boy liked him a lot. Maybe a bit too much in his taste. It was easy to tell with the way he acted: being so close, taking his hands so often…

If you added the fact that Taemin could somewhat experience the other boy’s feelings, it was completely obvious. The last time he saw him at the river, he could feel Minho was attracted to him. The boy couldn’t look away from his eyes and his body. He wanted him so badly.

He didn’t know what to think of it. He wasn’t sure where his own feelings stopped and where Minho’s feelings started. Maybe he liked him back. Or maybe he was just experiencing how Minho felt and nothing more.

He didn’t know if he wanted their relationship to go any further. He wasn’t bothered that Minho was a boy, though. That wasn’t part of the equation. He was just not comfortable getting that close to someone.

His phone vibrated. He peeked at it and saw a text from his mother telling him they were waiting for him outside. He got up, took his tray, and set it down on the cafeteria counter.

His father, mother, and sister were all happy to go see granny. He was too, but he was just too tired to sing with them in the car. The ride was about three hours long, and he hoped he could get some sleep.

He loved his training sessions but they were exhausting. He didn’t know why, but he always felt drained at the end. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on happy things. It was easy because his family was such in a good mood. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, so he gave up and looked outside the window, enjoying the landscape.

After a few hours and as they got closer to the sea, he felt happiness fill him up. He always loved to come here, even if it didn’t happen often.

His granny had moved in a little house just by the sea about a decade ago, between the towns Gangneung and Donghae, because she was tired of the South. She didn’t have any neighbors. She had chosen to live a secluded life without any electronic devices. She only had a landline. She didn’t go to the mall either; she was growing her food in the garden.

And with good reason. She wasn’t actually his grandmother but his great-great-grandmother and she was turning 145 today. The thing is, she looked like she was about to be 40, maybe 50. She could regenerate and if he thought well, he hadn’t even seen her sick once. Thanks to her ability, she was a force of nature. Anyway, since his grandparents had died when he was little, he had always considered the old lady as his grandmother.

The car stopped. They had arrived. He went out of the vehicle and towards the house. It was an old house that had been built almost entirely with wood. He opened the door—it wasn’t locked, as always—and went inside.

The house felt cramped because of all the objects she had accumulated over the years. There were about four sofas in the living room, all of them covered with a patchwork of blankets she had knitted herself. A lot of pictures of Taemin, his sister, and his cousins were hanging on the walls.

On the right side of the entrance was the kitchen. In the middle of this room laid a gigantic wooden table. He saw his granny was sitting there crying.

“Granny, what happened?” he said as he rushed towards her. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt sweetheart, I’ve never been so happy in a long time.”

The rest of his family was entering the house and she made a sign for him to come closer. He sat beside her and she raised the hair above her ear.

“See? I have a gray hair. I’m aging.”

She had a beautiful smile on her face and he was sure her tears were of joy. He went closer and hugged her. She returned the embrace before everyone went inside.

After a few hours, there were too many people for Taemin to handle. His aunt had arrived with her husband and twins. The two little boys were still really young and they asked about three questions a minute and Taemin found it difficult to stay focused. When other cousins he didn’t know well arrived, he decided to go outside.

The weather was nice, even if a little cold, but he loved the sea so much he would have gone even if it was raining. He walked until he reached the water. He removed his shoes and socks and held them in his hands.

The small waves were stroking his feet. Each time they came, he could feel himself sink into the ground until the sand covered his toes entirely. The wind was blowing in his hair, and he felt at peace.

He saw a bigger wave coming and he moved back to avoid it. He walked along the shore for a couple of minutes and finally sat down on a dry patch of sand, a bit farther from the water. He closed his eyes and just listened to the sound of the waves. He was falling asleep when he heard someone coming. His granny sat down beside him.

“Too much going on in there for you, huh?” she asked, knowing the answer.

“I like to be alone sometimes. I mean, I need to. A lot of things have been going on lately.” His granny was the person he trusted the most out of all the people he knew.

“I know. Your father told me about the institution and your second ability. I guess Lee Junseok made it, after all.”

“You know the man? The one who founded the place?”

“Yes. He wanted me to help him. I guess I was selfish, but my time was gone already.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it was a little less than a hundred years ago, I should have been dead by that time already. I don’t want to be part of a world I’ll see disappear eventually.”

Taemin nodded at her explanation. He understood why she was happy to have a gray hair.

“I’m tired of living. My parents were killed during a raid against the hybrids. I was left for dead, but the bullet just couldn’t kill me. I lived through the Japanese occupation, World War II, the war against the communists. I buried too many people, Taemin. My husband, my children, my grandchildren… I don’t want to be the one to bury your father, or you. I want to go before you do.”

Taemin felt a tear leaving his eye. It hurt to hear her say that. He didn’t want to lose her.

“I’m sorry to tell you this Taemin. This is hard to hear and you are still so young.”

“It’s okay granny, don’t worry. I understand,” Taemin mumbled.

“I don’t see my ability as a gift, but more as a curse. And I hope you won’t feel that way anymore, so please work hard.”

“I’ll do my best, granny. But I don’t want to see you… die.” He knew he was being selfish. But he also knew how lucky he was to know someone like her. She had lived through so many things and experienced so much.

But she belonged to a time that didn’t exist anymore. As he was growing with an always faster and faster internet connection, she knew how the world was like without phones. He could easily understand why she was feeling overwhelmed.

“Anyway Taemin, how is it going at the institution?” His granny was trying to change the subject because he knew it made him feel uncomfortable. “Are you making any progress?”

“The institution is fine. I’m training my telekinesis. Dr. Kim makes me write down things with a pen. I’m getting better and better.”

“Dr. Kim? Is he good to you?”

“Yeah, he is,” he answered. His gaze trailed off and he realized he was looking at the waves.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Taemin?” she asked curiously. Taemin felt her prying eyes. She always knew those kinds of things.

“It’s just… He’s the father I never had,” he started. “I’m sorry, it’s mean towards dad.” His granny nodded.

“Don’t worry, I know. Your father can sometimes be… unpredictable.” She leaned towards Taemin. “And to be completely honest with you, his ability doesn’t exactly compare to what you can do,” she added with a chuckle.

“Yes, that’s true,” Taemin agreed. “Anyway, I don’t feel very close to dad. We don’t really talk about stuff.”

“Is there ‘stuff’ you want to tell me about?” she asked playfully. Taemin laughed but couldn’t refrain a blush. “Oh, so there is something,” she added seriously.

Taemin stayed silent for a moment. His granny was the person he trusted the most on earth and he had to get some weight off his chest. It felt right to tell her.

“Yeah… I— I met someone. I’m just not sure about how I feel about him. Her. I mean her,” he added quickly. His granny smiled.

“Do you know if she likes you?” she asked insisting on the ‘she’. Taemin’s heart was racing.

“Yes. She does. But what if something happens between us and then she leaves me? I’m not sure I could handle that.”

“So I guess you like her back. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t care about that.” Taemin breathed heavily as he realized she was probably right.

“Life is so complicated.”

“It gets better with time.” She stayed silent for some time. “Oh and, Taemin, it’s okay if it’s a boy.”

She smiled at him, and he could only smile back. She opened her arms and he coiled up in them. He had the best granny in the world.


	7. Nocturnal Getaway

Taemin didn’t know why he said yes. Well, he was lying to himself, he knew exactly why. He missed Minho a lot.

After his talk with his granny, he tried to better understand his feelings for Minho. Spending time away from him was counterintuitive but it worked for him. Not being around Minho helped him concentrate on what _he_ was feeling. He still wasn’t completely sure, but he had come to one conclusion: Minho’s presence was soothing, and for the first time in his life, he was craving someone’s touch.

The boy had asked him several times if they could see each other and spend some time together, but it was only two weeks later that they were able to plan something.

Taemin felt so stressed and so lost. Because with his realization now came something he dreaded: what if Minho was just fooling around, what if he wasn’t serious, what if his feelings weren’t real? What if Taemin was getting the wrong picture?

So, besides the fact that he had been very busy with his training at the institution, he had done everything in his power to postpone their next date—he couldn’t deny it felt like a date.

But now he just couldn’t do it anymore. First, because Minho would be suspicious, and second, because he missed him too much. He was still afraid Minho would try to take things too far, but if they didn’t even see each other, well, nothing would ever happen and he would eventually lose him altogether. He didn’t want that either.

So here he was. In the subway, waiting to reach the right station. Minho had suggested watching the city by night, at the Namsan Tower. The romantic aspect of this made Taemin cringe, but as they were on the phone discussing it, he couldn’t deny it sounded great.

When he arrived at his destination, Minho wasn’t there. He wondered if being late was common for him. But after almost twenty minutes, he was starting to feel cold and the stress was eating at him. He just wanted him to be here to be over with that feeling of anticipation. He took his phone and called him.

“Minho? Where are you? I’m waiting for you.”

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry Taemin, I completely forgot. I’ll be there in five minutes, tops.”

“What do you mean you—”

Minho had hung up on him. Now, besides being cold and stressed out, he was frustrated. Could it get even worse?

A few minutes later, he saw Minho walking quickly towards him and he tried to put on an angry face. As he was starting to say the same thing he did on the phone, he was rushed into the boy’s arms. He couldn’t fight it—he relaxed instantly.

“Hey Taemin, I’m sorry. I didn’t actually forget about you. I just didn’t see the time running.”

They separated, but Minho kept holding both his hands. Taemin was surprised it didn’t bother him. He wanted to be angry, but seeing him again, he realized he just couldn’t.

“What were you doing here in the neighborhood anyway, Minho?”

“I was just taking care of some stuff with my father. I think he wants us to bond or something.”

“And I was waiting for you, and I’m cold.” He was mean and childish, he knew it, but couldn’t help it. He was feeling the warmth of Minho’s hands, and that reminded him he almost didn’t feel his legs anymore.

“Okay, let’s go! Do you want to climb or take the funicular?”

“I don’t even feel my legs, there’s no way we’re going on foot.” He hated himself when he acted like this. But Minho deserved it. The boy smiled at him and he thought, maybe he was being a little harsh on him. He smiled back and they started to walk towards the funicular.

When they arrived at the top, Taemin went directly towards the bridge and looked around for he didn’t how long.

“This is so beautiful, I don’t know why I don’t come here more often.”

Taemin wasn’t looking at anything specific, just the lights of the city. The colors were so beautiful. He saw some of them moving—they were probably lights from the cars—and he wondered what those people were doing, where they were heading, how were their lives in general.

At this moment, he genuinely thought his life was better than anyone else’s. He was improving a lot at the institution, but more important; he was with Minho on the guardrail of the Namsan Tower, at night, holding his hand. He could feel the warmth of his hand go through his whole body. He could also feel Minho’s body right next to him, so close. Just thinking about it made him shiver.

And as he shivered, he felt Minho come closer and embrace him from behind. He understood right away that Minho thought he was cold, which was the case, but he didn’t want to acknowledge that. He could have backed off; this was actually what he intended to do the first second, but Minho was an open book for him and what he saw in him reassured him.

The first time they went out together—the night he spent at the boy’s apartment didn’t count—Minho was all over him in a way that wasn’t comfortable for Taemin. This was the reason he was afraid to see him again. But this night had been completely different, for whatever reason he didn’t get. Past the first few minutes and the time they spent in the funicular where they were sniping at each other, Minho had been extremely calm and gentle.

So, when Minho hugged him from behind and looked down at the city with him, he just felt safe and at peace. Perfect. He even closed his eyes for a few seconds, just to take in the feeling. He felt Minho let go of his hand and come a little closer, resting his now free hands on his stomach. His head was just in the crook of his neck and his breath was slow and hot.

“Is this okay with you, Tae?” Minho whispered. Taemin shivered at the nickname. He could tell Minho was afraid of going too far, but this was just how he wanted things to be right now.

“It is,” he answered with a small smile, breathing deeply.

He turned his head a little to the right, in the direction of Minho’s, and looked him in the eyes. Minho was staring back at him and even if he wanted, he couldn’t look away.

Seconds passed and neither of them lowered their gaze. The tension was building between them and he found it harder and harder to resist. But resist what, he didn’t know. His head was spinning with so many things but no coherent thought could form out of it.

He finally let go of Minho’s beautiful eyes to look at his other features. His cheekbones were light pink. Whether it was from their closeness or the cold, he didn’t know. He then looked at his mouth and that is when he lost it. He had small plump pink lips that were so attractive. He felt weird in his stomach because this was the first time he had thought of someone like that. He didn’t know what to do.

But Minho seemed to get it and began to move his head closer. Taemin decided to just take in whatever was going to happen.

Their lips touched. It wasn’t much. He could feel the warmth of Minho. He was not sure of what to do. So he just stood there, putting his hands on Minho’s and he moved his lips a little bit, breathing out. Minho responded right away and caught his bottom lip between his. The pull was delightful and he lost it again. He tightened his hold on Minho’s hands and heard a faint sound come out of his own mouth.

Minho gently let go of his mouth, opening his eyes after a few seconds. He had a genuine smile on his face.

“Thank you,” Taemin said in a breath.

“For what?” Minho asked, puzzled.

“That was a nice first kiss.” He couldn’t help it and blush, but he didn’t care because Minho was in the same state himself.

“I’m sure the second one will be even better,” Minho answered playfully.

“Yeah, but maybe we should wait a bit before the next one, I need to come back down to earth first.” Minho laughed at this, and he melted one more time while laughing with him.

They were interrupted by a ringtone coming from his pocket. He felt Minho’s hand reaching into it to take the phone and Taemin surprisingly found the gesture breathtaking. The date didn’t turn out how he had imagined at all. Minho gave him his phone and he looked at the screen.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this. This is my mom,” he said with an apologetic look. Minho simply nodded and Taemin finally picked up the phone.

“Hi, mom. What’s going on?”

“Taemin! Why are you not home? It’s almost eleven! Where are you?”

“I’m out with… a friend,“ he said hesitantly. He looked at Minho but the boy seemed to try and not pry on their conversation. “Don’t worry, mom.”

“Taemin, I think it’s time for you to come home. It’s late.” He could tell she was irritated, but not mad—yet.

“Okay, I’ll come home soon. You don’t need to wait for me though.”

“Oh, be sure I will, young boy.” Now was a good time to hang up. She was getting angry.

“Bye mom, I’m coming home,” he said just before hanging up. He put the phone back in his pocket and breathed out loudly. He didn’t want to leave Minho already, not with what had happened between them just minutes ago.

“I guess you have to leave…,” Minho said sadly.

“I guess.”

“Come on, I don’t want to upset your parents when they don’t even know me.” Minho let go of him a little too fast in his taste and they started to walk towards the funicular.

As they were walking, Taemin was missing something. He had noticed it right away: Minho wasn’t touching him. He realized how he liked holding his hand. But Minho had also always been the one initiating the touch. He didn’t do it this time and that made him uncomfortable. Had he done something wrong? Did Minho realize that he didn’t like him after all?

No, that wasn’t possible. He could feel that everything Minho was thinking about right now was him. And only him. That reassured him and he took every ounce of courage he had. He slowly came closer and their shoulders brushed. He touched Minho’s hand with his and the older boy held it. He looked at Minho only to see that he was already looking at him.

Minho came closer and pecked his lips softly. He then retracted as if nothing had happened and they continued to walk. Taemin felt astonished. He liked that. He had trouble understanding himself, because a few hours earlier, he was afraid of being close to Minho, and now, he was craving intimacy.

When Taemin arrived home, his mother was waiting for him but nothing bad had happened. He still remembered the last time he had been grounded, and he dreaded it would happen again.

He entered his room and sat down on his bed. He didn’t want to go to sleep. He wasn’t tired at all. Too many things had happened this evening and he knew he would think about it the whole night and wouldn’t be able to sleep. He took his phone and opened his conversation with Minho.

_‘Thank you for tonight.’_

Sent. He wasn’t sure of anything at this stage. He needed to talk to someone. He thought for a second and then got up and headed up to his sister’s room. The light was on, so he knocked and opened the door. She was sitting on her bed with her pajamas on, the computer on her knees. Taeyeon looked up and smiled.

“Taemin! You’re home, finally. Mom was worried. She thought you had run off again,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

“But you knew I hadn’t,” he answered with a smile. He entered the room, closed the door, and sat down on her desk chair.

“The house didn’t look like there was a hurricane, so I figured nothing made you mad and destroy everything.” Taemin faked an annoyed face. “Hey, don’t be sad. Come here,” Taeyeon said while patting the bed. He got up and sat next to her, resting his head on her shoulder.

“So, you were out tonight. Who were you with?”

“I told mom I was with Jonghyun from school,” Taemin answered after a few seconds. He wasn’t too sure how to tell her.

“But you weren’t with him?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Why did you have to lie?” she asked. “Where were you?” she added, intrigued. Taemin took a deep breath.

“I met a guy. I was out with him.” His sister looked at him expectantly but Taemin said nothing more.

“What’s his name? How did you two meet?”

Taemin was wandering his eyes on the sheets. He hadn’t told anyone except his granny. He wasn’t completely sure he could trust his sister.

“His name is Minho. I met him… the last time I ran away.”

“Oh. You mean you spent the night with a stranger?” She had that scolding look in her eyes, but he hoped she wasn’t going to say anything.

“Yeah… I know it sounds like a foolish thing to do, but it didn’t feel like it that night. He was very nice to me.”

“So now you’re friends.”

“Yeah, about that… We may not be just friends. I don’t know.” His heart was racing. He felt weird talking about this. In only a few weeks, he went from not ever thinking about romance to being head over heels for someone. All of this was completely new for him and he couldn’t say he knew how it worked.

His sister looked him straight in the eye, confused. He stared back and nodded silently. She seemed to finally get it.

“Oh,” was all she said.

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

“We kissed.”

“Oh,” she said again. “Was it good?” she added, raising her eyebrows. He knew his sister just wanted to lighten the mood, but he felt utterly uncomfortable. He felt his heartbeat accelerate and his hands shake slightly.

“Hey! Please. Don’t ask me that!” He stared into space, then closed his eyes for a second. He tried to remember the taste of Minho’s lips. Then he realized it probably wasn’t a good idea to think about that when he was still with his sister. “Yeah, it was. Like, it really was.” He blushed for the nth time this evening. She laughed.

“So… You like boys?”

Taemin took a second to think. Did he?

“I don’t know, Taeyeon. I’m not…” He felt so lost. The word ‘gay’ had crossed his mind a few days back. But he didn’t feel comfortable using it. The word didn’t feel right for him. “I like being with Minho. I’m not sure him being a boy has anything to do with it though.”

“So you like both? I mean, girls and boys?” She said excitedly and Taemin breathed deeply. He wished he could see the world as simply as his sister did.

“I don’t know Taeyeon… I’d say it’s more like I don’t like anybody I guess. Minho’s the first. I never felt anything close to this ever,” he started. Even if he found it difficult to talk about this with his sister, he couldn’t deny forming his thoughts aloud helped him figure things out.

“What do you mean, never? You never had a crush? Ever? Not even on the girl you hung out with back in Jeju when we were young?” Taeyeon asked.

“Never. That girl was only a friend. I never thought of her _that_ way,” Taemin started. “Am I normal?” he started to panic.

“Don’t worry Taemin. I mean, now you obviously like Minho, anyway,” she said with a smile. “Do you know how Minho feels about you?” she added.

“I just know that he cares, a lot. He wants to be close. It might be a weird thing to say, but I like how he feels. It’s comforting.”

“You know, if he likes you and you like him back, just go with the flow. That’s the best you can do.”

“But I don’t know if I like him that way.” Now she had an irritated look.

“Taemin, you like him that way. You just told me so. It can’t be just because he’s a good kisser or something.”

She was right. She had to be right. Why would he want to kiss a friend?

“I always overthink things. I’m sorry Taeyeon.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry.”

He finally felt tired. He had hoped he would feel better after talking to his sister, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He laid back on the bed and his sister followed suit.

“Where were you, anyway? You didn’t tell me.”

“At the Namsan Tower.” He heard her choke.

“Oh gosh, you must be kidding me. This is so cheesy. You kissed at the Namsan Tower. I don’t even know why you have so many doubts.”

“I like to make things complicated. It’s like a hobby or something.”

“Did you French kiss?” she tried.

“Like I would answer that.” He was jaded. This was beyond him.

“But did you?”

“No. I’m not marrying him tomorrow.” He concluded. She nodded but then she looked serious again.

“Does he know about hybrids?” She asked carefully.

They were entering troubled waters. He felt the weight of the number one rule hovering over their heads like a Damocles sword.

“I don’t think so. I haven’t told him anyway.”

“Do you think it’s safe to tell him? Do you trust him enough for this?”

Taemin paused for an instant.

“I don’t know. I’m afraid to tell him but I’m also afraid to wait for too long.”

“Yeah. Please, I’d rather it be the second option. It’s better to wait too long than put us in danger.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” He yawned. “Thank you, Taeyeon. I’m going to bed, I’m way too tired.” He got up slowly and his sister wished him goodnight.

Back in his room, he quickly took off his clothes and went under the sheets. He remembered the text he had sent to Minho and looked for his phone. He found it under his pillow. He had a new text from almost an hour ago.

_‘Thank you too. This was a great night. I’m looking forward to the next one :)’_

He was looking forward to it too. So bad. The idea of kissing him again was more than pleasant. He wanted to answer with something but he fell asleep too fast to write anything.


	8. Under Attack

Taemin arrived at the Junseok Health Institution late Friday night. He had learned to love this place, except for the fact that it was located in a remote place in the mountains, near the town called Uijeongbu, north of Seoul. The only way to get there was to take the subway past the suburbs of the city and then take a bus or call the institution to get a driver.

The first few times, he had decided to take the bus, but he soon realized that it wasn’t the best option. There were only a few buses and even after getting off of it, you had to walk for at least twenty minutes to get to the old castle. So now, the number of the institution was on speed dial on his phone and he enjoyed the free rides through the forest.

As always, he said hello and goodnight to the receptionist and went straight to his bedroom. He had the chance to have his private room because he was coming every week. His room was located in the main building, as opposed to the people who lived there—they lived in cabins located farther in the woods, around the castle.

He had everything he needed for the next day. He was going to see Minho again. The older boy had been busy with school lately because of his finals that were slowly coming. Taemin was sad they couldn’t see each other because of that but he also understood. Minho’s future was on the line and he had to do everything he could to succeed. He couldn’t deny that he himself had some work to get done if he wanted to pass this school year.

But the sad part was that they hadn’t been able to see each other since the night they spent at the Namsan Tower. That was three weeks ago. They had talked on the phone and texted a lot—a lot—but Taemin missed him anyway. He wanted to grab his hands, hold him close, and kiss his lips. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that on the phone.

On the other hand, talking with Minho on the phone was a new and pleasant experience. Being away from him lessened the craving for his touch. He could focus more easily on what they were talking about. Minho turned out to be full of surprises and Taemin was happy to discover that side of him.

When Minho told him two days ago that they would be able to meet this Saturday—if Taemin wanted to—he was more than happy. Since the weather forecast wasn’t so nice, Minho had proposed they see each other at his place. Taemin felt uneasy going back there because of the nature of their relationship—whatever that was—but he was so happy with the prospect of seeing him again that he just accepted without thinking too much.

So he had prepared everything in his backpack. He had taken clean and pretty clothes to wear, as well as his hard drive with some movies on it, in case they didn’t know what to do—or in case that would exactly be what they wanted to do.

The journey to go to Minho’s apartment would last long the next day. Plus, he had only been there once and he didn’t remember well how exactly he got there in the first place. But he was confident in his memory.

As he was ready to go to bed around midnight, he realized something was wrong. He felt uncomfortable in his skin, and it took him a couple of minutes to understand that it wasn’t because of Minho. There was a feeling of panic coming from the people in the institution. He didn’t understand.

He heard a noise in the hallway and decided to peek out to see what was happening. As his head went through the door, a woman came to him.

“I’m sorry young man, but you can’t stay here. You need to go to the cafeteria now. Don’t ask anything, just do it. Now.” And the lady left.

What was happening? He put on a dressing gown on top of his pajamas and opened the door of his room. There was a lot of movement in the hallways. The lady had gone in all of the rooms and told everybody the same thing. He went with the flow and ended up in the cafeteria, already full of people.

He felt the tension building inside of him. He was beginning to stress. He just wanted to go to sleep peacefully to feel fresh and clean in the morning for his session with Dr. Kim and his date with Minho. Besides, him being stressed wasn’t good, he knew he could endanger the people around him.

Just at that moment, someone approached him. It was a man around his fifties, probably another doctor.

“Hello Taemin, I was looking for you. You can’t stay here. You need to go with me.”

As he started walking away, Taemin following him, he continued.

“I’m Dr. Bak, a colleague of Dr. Kim. I know your file and I don’t think you should stay with so many people in this state of hysteria.”

“What is happening? Why is everyone panicking?” He could only feel the state of emergency everyone was in.

“I don’t know for sure. It seems that we are being attacked.” Taemin frowned with fear. “Not in here, don’t worry. This is only preventive.”

“My family lives in Hongdae!” His hands began to shake. He tried to control them but soon realized it wasn’t working.

“This is not happening in Hongdae either, please Taemin, I need you to relax!” The doctor stopped and grabbed him by the arms. Taemin flinched at the touch; he wasn’t gentle like Dr. Kim was. He took a deep breath and tried to put things into perspective. There was an attack of some kind, but it wasn’t happening here or at home. He and his family were safe.

“Where is it happening?”

“Behind Konkuk University, as far as I am aware. Really Taemin, you don’t have to worry. This place is well protected.”

They arrived in the padded room he knew well. The doctor opened it and let him enter.

“Am I really going to spend the night here?”

“Yes, this is the best we can do. To protect you and the other people. I’m sorry.”

“But all my stuff is up in my room!” He was feeling helpless. He didn’t want to spend the night there.

“You will be able to go back to your room as soon as the situation clears out and we are sure everybody is safe.”

As he was going to protest, the doctor shut the door and locked it. Great. Now he was all alone in this empty cell. He sat on the ground bringing his knees to his chest. Tears slowly began to stream down his face while his hands were still shaking despite being tied to each other.

He was feeling miserable. There was nothing to disturb him, not a sound of any kind, except his beating heart. He wanted to hold something, anything to comfort him—even a pillow would do the trick—but the room was empty. Well, he guessed the room wasn’t empty at all, but Dr. Kim must have hidden all the furniture.

He laid down on the ground in a fetal position, tears slowly running through his left cheek before touching the fabric of the room. He was hoping everything would go well. After all, hybrids could defend themselves. If they were trained. If they were like him, they didn’t stand a chance.

He suddenly realized he had to train harder. He wasn’t improving fast enough for his taste. He could make more intricate moves with more precision, but he didn’t see how moving a clock hand from half a minute could help him in this situation.

But he was tired, and the room was quiet. He eventually fell asleep, praying tomorrow would be okay. The nightmares followed him through the night.

“Taemin? Are you with me? I need you to wake up.”

He opened an eye just to see Dr. Kim hovering over him. The white fabric of the cell blinded him. Everything that happened the night before flashed in his mind.

“What is going on? Was it really necessary to lock him in this cell?” Dr. Kim shouted at a colleague. He turned again to look at Taemin. “I’m sorry, Taemin. I told my colleague that it wasn’t very professional of him to put you in there.” The doctor wore a concerned face.

“Why weren’t you there anyway?”

“I was out fighting, Taemin.” Now that he said that, Taemin could see that the old man had bags under his eyes. He hadn’t slept much. “The CAH attacked us,” he added. “Well, it seems it was them.”

“The CAH?” he repeated in horror. He knew who they were. But it was the first time he was so close to an actual raid.

“Everything is fine now. I called your parents, they know you are here and safe. They are too,” he added after seeing his interrogative face. “You can go.”

“What about our training?”

“I’m sorry but I won’t do any training today, Taemin. I’m way too tired, that would be a massacre.” The doctor smiled at him and left the room.

Great. So he spent the night on an uncomfortable floor, worrying about his family, just for nothing. It was only eight in the morning and if he left the institution now, he would be way too early at Minho’s.

But he didn’t have a choice. He got up, went back to his room on the ground floor, and took a shower. He had a foreign feeling in his stomach. The realization of his nature and the consequences of it had never felt more real.

This day was supposed to be near perfection, seeing Minho again, but he wasn’t in the mood for it anymore. He took his backpack and headed to the cafeteria. He took a bowl of cereal and began to eat, despite not being hungry.

He was staring into space, not looking at anything specific, until he saw a face he recognized. A face that had no business being here. What was Jonghyun doing in here? He wasn’t a hybrid. Or was he?

At first, he thought he just didn’t see well, but those almost white locks couldn’t be missed. As he was staring at him, the boy turned his head in his direction. Jonghyun looked surprised, but smiled and came to his table to sit down in front of him.

“Hi, Taemin. I didn’t know you knew this place. Why are you here?”

He was stiff in his chair. Well, he was here because he was a hybrid, obviously.

“What are you doing here Jonghyun, what the hell?” He was on the edge. “You know this place is for… hybrids, right?”

“I know. I came here to see my sister. I come every week. Every Saturday,” Jonghyun said with a smile. “Are you coming for someone too? Who is it?” he finally added as he looked around.

He didn’t know what to answer. He didn’t even know anybody in this institution except for Dr. Kim.

“I— I’m not here for anyone,” he whispered. Jonghyun’s face lit up after a few seconds.

“Oh, so you must be a hybrid then.”

Taemin slightly nodded. That was the most awkward conversation he had in his life—even talking about relationships with his sister seemed easier.

“I didn’t know you were one.” Jonghyun didn’t seem disturbed at all. The light tone Jonghyun was using, especially considering they had been under attack just a few hours ago, was unsettling for Taemin. What about the number one rule?

“I’m supposed to hide my abilities. It’s just normal you don’t know about it.” He took a breath. “I didn’t know you had one in your family.”

“You weren’t supposed to know hybrids existed. It’s just normal I never told you about it.” Taemin closed his eyes. It made sense.

If he had never seen Jonghyun in this place, it was because he should normally have been a few floors lower at this time, having his session with Dr. Kim.

He heard a noise and Jonghyun took his phone in his pocket. He looked at it and smiled sweetly.

“I’m sorry Taemin, but I have to leave you, my sister is waiting for me,” he said with the same smile. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Yes, have a good day, Jonghyun.”

“You too!”

Jonghyun left with a last glance. He knew this conversation wasn’t over. Jonghyun didn’t show it—he was good at hiding his emotions—but Taemin knew they would have to talk more about this hybrid situation.

He decided to brush it away for now and focus on his day. He had to go to Minho’s and he was running late. He grabbed his things and went out of the castle. He entered a car that led him to the closest subway station.

When Taemin arrived in front of Minho’s building, he rang the bell labeled ‘Choi Minho’. He heard the beep and entered the building. He went to the fourth floor—he had to text Minho because he didn’t remember if it was the third or the fourth—and to the door at the end of the hall. It was open, so he entered right away and took off his shoes and backpack.

Minho was at the counter making coffee—he knew it because it smelled of coffee all over the place. As soon as Minho saw him, he smiled widely. Taemin smiled back, feeling that Minho was more than happy and that he had been anticipating this moment as much as he had. He came closer to the older boy and ended up in his arms, his face in his neck.

“Hi,” Minho said with a beaming smile on his face. He wanted to answer, so he moved his head back a little. In a split second, he was back at the Namsan Tower. He saw those eyes and lips up close and all he could do was kiss them. He moved closer and pressed his lips against the taller boy.

Minho responded right away, moving his hands over his back, brushing his lips against his, pushing his body against his own. Minho tilted his head a bit to the right and he followed suit. He could feel the kiss deepen and he put his hands on Minho’s cheeks, not knowing yet if he wanted this to go further.

His heart was racing. He felt something squishy poking his lips, making him shiver. He exhaled slowly and felt Minho’s tongue making his way inside his mouth, moving incredibly slowly.

He felt conflicted. As much as he was happy to see Minho again and touch him, at this very moment he felt paralyzed, not knowing what to do. Not knowing if he liked this, not knowing if this was going too far, too fast. Was it normal to kiss like this? Was he supposed to like this?

Minho’s hand started stroking his back. Taemin realized his heart was beating even faster than before, and the shivering of his hands hadn’t stopped. In fact, his whole body was now trembling.

Minho finally took the cue after a few seconds that felt like hours to Taemin. He moved his head back and looked at Taemin. But Taemin couldn’t look back.

He felt ashamed. He was just starting to accept his feelings for the older boy but realized he wasn’t prepared for everything that went with it. He had never thought of being physical with anyone, and the reality of it felt too much to handle.

“Tae, are you okay?” he said with a concerned look.

He took a deep breath and finally looked into Minho’s eyes. He lost himself in his big brown pupils. A feeling of joy finally took over. He was happy being here, with him. Everything was fine. He didn’t have to worry.

“Yes,” he started. “I just… Give me time? I’m not used to this.”

Minho nodded and kissed him again. He just pecked Taemin’s lips repeatedly, taking his time. Minho put his hands on his sides and moved them up and down. That was soothing.

“I missed you,” Taemin finally confessed.

“I missed you too. What do you want to do?” Minho asked. Taemin realized he looked happy but tired.

“A cup of coffee would be nice first,” he said gently. Minho chuckled and went back to what he was doing with the coffee machine before he arrived.

“And then?”

“I don’t know. I brought some movies if you want.”

“That sounds good.” It was like the smile on his face was unbreakable.

He finally let go of Minho and went to sit on the couch. The bed looked more comfortable, but he wasn’t sure he had the right to sit down on it.

Minho came with two cups of coffee and gave him one. He sat down beside him, leaving a little bit of space. He understood right away that Minho wanted to be close enough for him to notice, but not too close to not invade his personal space and make him uncomfortable again. That was a sweet gesture, he had to admit.

They drank their coffee in a comforting quiet. When he finished his cup, he got up to take the backpack he had left near the door. He went back with it and got the hard drive out of it.

“Here, Minho.”

Minho took it and plugged it on the television. While he was trying to get the thing to work, Taemin sat back, feeling a bit stressed and frustrated. If he was being honest with himself, one of the reasons why he wanted them to watch a movie was that they wouldn’t have to talk during that time.

What his sister told him a few weeks ago was still playing in his head. Should he tell him about his abilities? About hybrids? Could he be trusted? Would he believe him? Would he be afraid? Would he understand? Would this revelation end things right away between them?

Minho sat back with the remote in his hand. He began to scroll through the list.

“Is there anything you want to watch in particular?” he asked.

“I only brought the movies I like the most, so just choose what you want,” Taemin answered.

Minho was still scrolling through the list and Taemin felt the space between them. He came closer to the boy and put his head on his shoulder. Minho immediately reacted and put his arm behind his neck, resting his hand on his shoulder.

“But if you wanted to watch ‘Interstellar’, I would be more than okay with it,” Taemin finally added, smiling.

“What is this movie? I heard everybody talk about it.” Minho seemed to have no clue.

“This movie is a masterpiece, Minho! How can you not know about it?” He made an outraged face, but to be honest, it was only half faked. How could Minho not know about what he reckoned was one of the best movies ever?

“Okay, let’s watch that then. Dear Nolan, please dazzle me!” Minho said as he read the name on the screen.

The movie began and Taemin made himself more comfortable. He knew this movie by heart and loved it so much. Just the beginning was already perfect: the gloomy music and the testimonies had him. He closed his eyes and focused on what the characters were saying, trying to understand the sentences in English. He didn’t get everything but he could tell he was improving.

Minho, for his part, was concentrated on the movie. As the minutes passed and the story unfolded, he heard Minho sniffing. He wasn’t paying much attention to the television—he was more concentrated stroking Minho’s leg with his fingers—so he lifted his head and saw the main actor crying over a recording of his kids. At first, he wanted to make fun of Minho for crying, but he just had to admit that this scene was one of the saddest of the movie. At least Minho had a heart—and he himself had cried his eyes out over this so many times.

Minho suddenly moved and got up.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go grab some tissues.”

As the boy went to the bathroom, he bent down to the coffee table to grab the remote control and pause the movie.

“What the hell?” he mumbled to himself, seeing something under the glass table.

There was a map of a precise neighborhood of Seoul. He recognized the buildings of Konkuk University right away because of their special layout. This was Gwangjin-gu, he was sure of it. He didn’t have any family living there but he knew the area for having lots of hybrids.

Wait. Why would Minho have a map of a place filled with hybrids the day after a raid in this precise area?

The map also carried a lot of indications in a red sharpie. He took the map and saw other files under it. There were mainly emails that had been exchanged between Minho and… what seemed to be the CAH. That couldn’t be possible. It just couldn’t. Please.

“Are you looking for something, Taemin?” Minho had come back from the bathroom. Taemin lifted his head in the direction of the boy as tears were beginning to flow out of his eyes.

“Please Minho, tell me this is not true,” he said while trying to stay calm. He took the files to put them on the coffee table.

“What are you talking about?” Minho asked. He got closer to the table and saw the files. He tensed. “How is it possible you know what this is?”

Taemin burst out sobbing. Tears fell down his face and died in his shirt.

“You got to be kidding me, Minho! How could you?!” He lost it there. He felt all his anger and frustration release from him and the coffee table broke into pieces. He saw Minho tense up at the small explosion.

As Taemin was trying to find his breath again, a new wave of tension was already building up inside him. He felt trapped in his own body.

“Please tell me you have nothing to do with the raid from last night!” The walls were cracking. “I need to know!” The lamps exploded.

He could tell Minho was terrified. He had started crying again, and he was shaking. He was afraid to get closer to him and didn’t say anything.

“Tell me, Minho!” Taemin couldn’t stop crying. He was devastated. He already knew the answer but just couldn’t accept it.

“This is true,” Minho finally said in a breath.

Taemin heard a deafening noise in the kitchen and blacked out, falling hard on the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't hesitate to leave a comment or kudos if you like my writing :)


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